Prom
by 6Dylan9
Summary: Cordelia is down on her luck and a run-in with Faith pushes her life in a surprising direction. Around the end of Season 3 of BtVS. Cordelia/Faith.
1. Chapter 1

NOTES:

Written for the femslash minis lj community.

Prompts: Cordelia/Faith. Shoplifting. Silk. Whiskey.

* * *

Chapter One 

It flowed like a river over her fingers; a cascading torrent of material that shimmered in the harsh light and transfixed Cordelia as she tested its weight and its texture. It was beautiful, and it had to be hers.

"Can I help you, Miss?" a young shop assistant asked, peering over the top of the clothing rack.

Cordelia dropped the garment, letting it flutter back into place on the rack, and gave the assistant a confident smile.

"I'm just looking," she said, flashing her perfect teeth. "Keeping my options open for prom."

"Well let me know if you need any help, we have a very nice selection of dresses."

With a nod, Cordelia thanked the assistant and turned away from the dress she desperately wished she could afford. Since her allowance had been cut to. . .pretty much nothing recently due to her Daddy's run in with the IRS, Cordelia was trying hard to accept that she just couldn't stretch to buying such a fine dress. Silk was off limits. Everything she'd always wanted in a prom dress was off limits in fact and it was beginning to get her down.

She'd looked high and low in some of the cheaper shops – doing her best not to be spotted by anybody who might recognise her – but she'd found nothing she'd be seen dead in. Her options were running out, and prom was sooner than she dared to think about. If she didn't find something soon she'd be turning up in a dress she'd already worn, and that just wouldn't do. Not for Cordelia Chase.

Walking slowly through various racks of clothing, letting her fingertips trail over clingy materials, frilly monstrosities, skimpy pimp magnets and endless swathes of lace, she turned back and headed for the red silk dress that had pulled her in from the street initially – calling her inside to touch it and dream about how well it would hug her curves. Once again her fingers reached out to covet the beautiful material. The dress itself didn't look all that amazing just hanging there limply, but Cordelia knew, she could see that once she put it on it would have a wow-factor to end all others.

Its Oriental cut would accentuate her long legs and slender frame. She'd look incredible from every angle and she highly doubted there would be a single other girl at the prom with a dress quite like it. This would be a show stealer, if she could afford it.

She had to have it.

Cordelia didn't have a date, or a limo to pull up in, or a party to go to afterwards, so this dress. . .this dress would be her saving grace.

Her heart started to pound and her hands went clammy as she imagined just sliding the dress off its hanger and into her bag. It would be so easy. Wouldn't it? She could have what she wanted if she just. . .

Glancing quickly towards the shop assistant and noticing that she was busy with another customer, Cordelia licked her lips, tasting the salty tang of sweat at what she was about to do. Her mind made up, she took a breath and reached out for the dress, opening her large bag at the same time. Adrenaline was coursing through her body and she almost felt like she was floating, looking down at herself as she crossed a line she'd never even stood close to before.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," came a hushed voice from behind her.

Cordelia froze, her mind running rampant as it searched for an explanation.

"There's a security tag on that," the girl still behind her said.

Letting go of the breath she'd been holding, Cordelia closed her bag and pushed the dress back onto its rail, her hands visibly shaking as she wished for the ground to open up and swallow her.

"I wasn't. . ." Cordelia began, about to deny that she was doing anything untoward, but a chuckle from whoever had stopped her cut off her blatant lie.

That chuckle reminded her of somebody. Well that and the husky voice and faint scent of leather.

She turned around to come face to face with Faith. Faith: the other vampire slayer. Faith who was now working for a bunch of evil people.

"I can scream really loud," Cordelia warned. "And I have mace."

Shoving her hand into her bag, Cordelia fished around to find the little spray can so she could shove it at Faith as a warning.

"I don't doubt it," Faith said with a leer. "But what exactly is it ya think I'm gonna do to you in the middle of a shop that requires mace?"

"You. . .I. . ." Cordelia stammered, still looking – and failing – to find said mace. "I know your game. You probably want to kidnap me like you did Willow."

"And why would I wanna do that?" Faith asked, sliding her hands into the pockets of her dark jeans. "It's not like any of the scoobie gang are gonna notice if you disappear, right?"

Giving Faith a cold, hard glare, Cordelia hastily snapped shut her bag and stepped closer to Faith.

"If you came in here to make me feel bad, don't bother," she snarled. "You can say whatever you want to me; at least I'm not a skanky, evil. . ."

"Do you need assistance?" the shop assistant asked as she sidled up beside them, giving Faith a dirty look as she took in her dark and decidedly un-girly attire.

Cordelia opened her mouth to say no so she could just get the hell out of there, away from tempting dresses, and away from a potentially dangerous slayer-with-a-grievance. But Faith gave them both a big grin and nodded.

"I sure do," Faith told the assistant. "I need you to wrap that dress up right there for my friend."

"This one?" the assistant asked as she lifted up the red one that Faith had indicated.

Faith nodded as Cordelia stood by, wide eyed.

"Are you sure? This is the finest silk, with a hefty price tag attached," the assistant pointed out with a lofty expression.

"I'm sure," Faith asserted. She dug deep into her pocket and handed the assistant a credit card, giving Cordelia a wink in the process. "Put it on that; and anything else my friend here wants."

Cordelia's mouth hung open as the assistant walked away towards the counter with the dress and Faith's credit card. She was at a loss for words, but as realisation dawned on her that Faith wasn't even her friend and never had been, she pulled herself together and tried to work out what the hell Faith was up to.

"What are you doing?" Cordelia asked as Faith began to make her way towards the counter. She tugged on Faith's sleeve so she would stop and answer. "Are you about to commit some kind of credit card fraud, hoping to get me into trouble? Or are you just going to go beat her up and. . ."

"Cordy, chill the fuck out," Faith told her as she shook her arm away from Cordelia's grip. "You were just about to steal it."

"I wasn't!" Cordelia protested, glancing behind Faith to make sure nobody had heard.

"I saw the signs, C," Faith pointed out. "You were totally 'lifting it and no way in hell would you have gotten outta here without gettin' caught. I'm doing you a favour here."

"Doing me a favour?" Cordelia asked. "Doing me a favour would be walking away and leaving me alone, not stealing the dress yourself."

Faith rolled her eyes and sighed, leaning in to Cordelia so only she would hear.

"I work for a fucking demon that has the town in his hand, and he's pretty easy with the cash flow he sends my way, so I don't gotta steal shit, C," Faith said under her breath. "I could buy this place and you right along with it, so shut the fuck up and go get the dress I just bought ya so that you can look better than Buffy-fucking-Summers at prom and I can feel smug about it."

Cordelia blinked and tried to find something caustic to say, but the shop assistant was waving her over with the dress all packaged up and ready to go. She moved past Faith in order to go and collect the dress still beckoning her, but before she went too far she stopped and turned back to Faith.

"So you're buying it for me to get at Buffy?" Cordelia asked, narrowing her eyes at Faith.

Faith seemed to think about it for a moment, then she shrugged and fixed Cordelia with an intense gaze that almost had goose pimples sprouting up all over her skin.

"Not just to get at Buffy," Faith replied.

"Then why?"

Cordelia didn't know why she was asking so many questions. She could walk out of there with her new dress without having spent a cent of what little money she had, and without having had committed any crime. Why the hell she wasn't just smiling and nodding and accepting the gift she didn't know. Really, there was no need to spend all this time wondering about Faith's motives. She shouldn't have cared.

"I saw what you were about to do through the window," Faith told her, flicking her gaze to the very window via which Cordelia had been drawn into the shop when seeing the dress. "Couldn't let ya start down that road."

With a confused look, Cordelia tried to believe Faith, but the girl didn't exactly have a very good reputation.

"Why would you care?" Cordelia pressed.

"Why would you care that I care?" Faith asked, switching the focus onto Cordelia.

This was getting them nowhere, and the longer they stood around, the weirder Cordelia began to feel.

"Just go take the fucking dress, C," Faith insisted. "And whatever else you need to go with it."

"Well, I could use some new shoes, and possibly. . ."

"Then what are ya standin' here for? Go look for shoes and. . .all that other prom stuff," Faith told her, waving her hand dismissively at Cordelia.

Cordelia was beyond wary, but she was being offered everything she needed to make a possibly disastrous night not go quite as dreadfully as she'd imagined it would. Did it really matter why Faith was offering this? Did it really matter if accepting would make Cordelia a bad person for having anything to do with the girl that had hurt her friends? Not that they were really her friends at all now.

She decided that the scoobies were inconsequential. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity and she was going to grab onto it with both hands. No more feeling like a poor person or a fraud.

"What's the limit on your card?" Cordelia asked.

Faith chuckled and gave Cordelia one of those smiles of hers that made people swoon for her dimples; or at least, Cordelia imagined that people swooned. She'd never swooned at anything in her life so they certainly didn't have any impact on her, but. . .she could appreciate their potential.

"Don't worry about a limit, C," Faith stated. "Get whatcha need."

Taking another short, almost infinitesimal moment to ponder the morality of the situation again, Cordelia finally shrugged and headed towards the shop assistant.

"I'm gonna need shoes to match," she instructed confidently. "Shoes and a purse, and possibly a whole other outfit in case I change my mind. They're not gonna know what's hit 'em."

Once Cordelia had shopped enough, pulling Faith into at least three more boutiques, and a delicatessen to satisfy a sudden urge for crème covered pastries, they dropped the overflowing bags on the sidewalk as Faith pulled out a cell phone and made a call. She was calling for a lift and Cordelia had stopped feeling the need to ask questions about such things. If Faith had ulterior motives for all this then she was fully prepared to face them. After an afternoon of ferocious shopping, Cordelia was far too happy and satisfied to really care about whatever happened next.

All the heartache of losing everything she had to the tax man had left her feeling less than what she'd once been. She'd felt squashed, boxed in, caged and awkward. It felt good to breathe again, to have that freedom to just be herself, even if Faith was the one facilitating it.

"So, the Mayor is your sugar daddy?" Cordelia asked as they waited for the car.

Faith raised an eyebrow and shook her head no.

"I don't screw him for money if that's what you mean," she answered.

"No, that would make you a prostitute."

"Well I'm not either of those, I just. . .do things he can't trust the others to do."

"By others you mean all the demon-y evil things you're supposed to be slaying?" Cordelia asked sarcastically.

Faith narrowed her eyes in annoyance but the threat of violence that should have followed didn't come.

"Yeah well, turns out the evil things treat me with more respect than Buffy and her crew ever did," she said sullenly. "Can't blame a girl for goin' where she's wanted more."

"I guess," Cordelia said, dropping her gaze to the ground. She'd felt plenty pushed out by the scoobies in her time around them to know how much that stung.

Cordelia had tried to convince herself many times that she didn't care about what they thought, or about whether or not she was part of their little secret society of nerdom, but she did care. Being rejected by the people that everybody else rejected was all kinds of insulting. It hurt.

"That probably gives us something in common huh?" Faith pointed out. "Not that you. . .yunno, went all psycho and killed people."

The pain in Faith's words was obvious. There was sadness there too, even though she hid it well behind the new clothes and the great hair, the better makeup and less skanky look all round.

"Maybe," Cordelia agreed with a sigh.

At this point, she really did feel like she had more in common with Faith than she did with anybody else. The past few hours with her hadn't been awful, and Faith had actually let Cordelia talk and get some things off her chest – mostly about her lack of recent shopping sprees and the fact she no longer even had a car. It had been easy being around Faith. Easy saying things she hadn't said to anybody else. It made Cordelia hate her situation even more, but really. . .there wasn't much she could do about it. Not until she graduated and got the hell out of Sunnydale.

"The car's here," Faith indicated, picking up the bags as a long, black limousine pulled up in front of them. "Hop in."

Cordelia knew she was catching flies, but she couldn't help it. This wasn't a car, it was a cruise liner; a yacht on land. It was. . .perfect.

She slid into the leather seat and sighed in content, watching as Faith bundled the shopping onto the seat facing them as she climbed in beside Cordelia. They were by no means sat close to each other, but Cordelia had the distinct urge to shuffle further away, which she guessed would look really cruel considering what Faith had just done for her. Fighting the urge, she checked to make sure her bags were safe on the seat opposite that she could barely reach, then she relaxed back and enjoyed her luxurious surroundings with a satisfied smile.

"Like it?" Faith asked, grinning at Cordelia.

"It doesn't suck," Cordelia answered, running her hand over the leather interior and tingling all the way inside.

She was born to be rich; her current situation was obviously just a little bump in the road. A glitch. Something she would look back on one day with a certain amount of fondness for how it made her appreciate all the luxury she'd eventually end up living in.

Faith gave a short laugh and shrugged.

"It's not my kinda thing, but the Mayor thinks it makes me look important," she said. "Makes the vamps and demons that work for him know I'm better than them. . .or somethin'."

"I can see how that would work," Cordelia commented, looking over at Faith.

Though Faith seemed less than ecstatic, she certainly had an air of authority about her now. She looked powerful, in more ways than one. Her youth and bad taste wasn't the first thing that Cordelia saw now; she saw more depth, pain, strength, danger, a simmering aura of sexuality that made Cordelia quickly look away and curse her sudden rapid heartbeat.

She wanted to avoid seeing Faith as the attractive girl she was even if it killed her trying. So far, she'd managed to deny the fact that Faith made her look at her in a way that was. . .just wrong for somebody as straight as Cordelia, but sitting next to her right now with Faith looking hotter than ever? Yeah, it was hard to deny. It was hard to convince herself that her thoughts hadn't strayed before about Faith. Of course, she'd hated when they had strayed and done her best to ignore it, but Cordelia wasn't oblivious to the fact that straight girls didn't find other girls sexy. At least they didn't in her world.

"So, are you gonna kill Buffy?" Cordelia asked, hoping to keep reminding herself about how bad Faith was and how very wrong it was to be entertaining thoughts of enjoying her credit card, and her company.

Faith spluttered out a laugh that could be construed as almost scary if it wasn't for the fact it was more goofy than anything.

"Is that a yes or a no?" Cordelia pressed, turning towards Faith, and wondering if it was strange of her to be smiling because of Faith's laughter.

"You ask that now? After we just spent hours spendin' the Mayor's money on you?" Faith continued to laugh. "Talk about a lack of morals. And they say _I'm_ bad."

Cordelia scrunched her brow up in consternation but she still couldn't stop herself from smiling just a little.

"Hey, did I say I minded if you were planning to kill her or not? No, I didn't think so," Cordelia pointed out haughtily.

Faith eventually stopped laughing long enough to answer, "No, I'm not."

She said it quietly, keeping a wary eye on the driver behind his glass partition.

Cordelia narrowed her eyes and had an inkling that maybe Faith wasn't quite as 'bad' as all that after all. She was just trying to get by with what she could, using what she could – her slaying ability. Faith was by no means an angel, but Cordelia highly doubted she was the devil that the scoobies were trying to make out she was.

Just as Cordelia was about to ask more about what she was doing for the Mayor, Faith asked her own question.

"Where do you wanna go, C?"

Cordelia blinked and wondered for a half a second at what Faith actually meant, considering her previous thoughts about Faith's obvious charms. She soon realised what Faith was asking as the girl in question leaned forward and pulled up a little flap in the partition so she could tell the driver.

"Oh," Cordelia said, causing Faith to raise a well groomed eyebrow at her. "You want my address huh?"

"Would help."

"It's. . ." Cordelia wondered how safe it was telling Faith her address, but then she wondered how safe it was turning up at home with bags full of clothes and shoes when she was meant to be broke. Her father wasn't going to be happy.

"Did you have a brain fart, Cor?" Faith asked. "It's normally not that hard for people to remember their address."

"I didn't forget," Cordelia assured, glowering at Faith. "It's just that. . .my parents are gonna have seizures if I turn up there with all this." She indicated the many bags.

"Does look kinda suspicious," Faith said with a nod. "Can't you sneak in?"

"Not likely," Cordelia huffed.

"Why not? I thought you lived in a house with more entrances than a termite mound."

"Why are you talking to me about termites?" Cordelia dismissed in disgust. "We don't live there anymore, we had to move."

"Smaller place?"

"Much."

Cordelia sighed and tried not to feel embarrassed, but it was difficult. Even though it wasn't her fault that her dad had screwed them over, she still felt guilty and stupid.

"So drop them off at mine," Faith offered after a moment's silence.

"You're inviting me to your den of evilness?"

"Yeah, thought I'd lure you there with shopping, then tie you up and start a fire so I can roast you over it," Faith responded sarcastically. "Are you deficient or just trying to piss me off?"

Faith sounded angry now, but that wasn't all; she was hurt. Obviously Faith didn't like being judged or second guessed, and Cordelia could understand that. Especially now.

"My bad," Cordelia said by way of an apology. "You're being sweet and kind and I don't think you're evil at all."

She hoped she sounded convincing.

"Now I know you're trying to piss me off," Faith said, her eyes looking darker by the second. "Take us to mine, Mike."

Once she'd told the driver where they were headed Faith sat back in the seat heavily, a scowl only accentuating her attractiveness rather than detracting from it.

"You know, you look kinda hot when you're angry," Cordelia blurted as she stared at Faith.

They both went a little wide eyed in shock, and Cordelia really, really hoped that Faith ignored what she'd just said. Of course, this being her life, and Faith being who she was, there was no way it was going to be ignored.

"You think I'm hot?" Faith asked with a chuckle as she gave Cordelia a puzzled, yet somewhat impressed expression.

"I didn't say that exactly," Cordelia insisted, turning away from Faith and looking out of the tinted window.

"You totally did," Faith countered. "You think I'm hot."

"I don't," Cordelia snapped, refusing to look at Faith again.

"I knew it."

Cordelia listened to the little chortle Faith gave and tried her best just to let the subject die a sudden death, but she wanted to know what Faith had meant by that.

"You knew?" she asked. "You knew what exactly? That you're delusional?"

She turned to give Faith a smug look, but Faith appeared even smugger.

"Nope, I knew that you had kinky thoughts about me," she stated with a big smirk.

For a moment Cordelia was stunned and unable to respond or refute the claim. She hadn't had those thoughts, not really. Well, not on purpose anyway.

"I. . .I did not," Cordelia answered after a long pause. "I wouldn't. I'm not. . ."

"You're not thinkin' about pushing me back on these leather seats and straddling me?" Faith interrupted, giving Cordelia an image she wasn't entirely comfortable with, for many reasons.

Once again Cordelia failed to reply right away and Faith was just getting more and more cocky.

"Gotta say, Cordy," Faith began, leaning towards Cordelia and lowering her voice so it sounded even huskier and sexier, "I wouldn't exactly push you off if ya tried it."

She licked her full lips and Cordelia found herself transfixed, licking her own lips in response quite by accident. Hoping that Faith didn't have the freaky kind of hearing that meant she would hear how much her heart was pounding, she snapped her gaze up from Faith's lips, only to find herself pulled into her dark eyes as if Faith was an expert hypnotist.

Fighting for control of her sense, Cordelia dug deep down for her resolve and sat up straighter.

"If you try to kiss me I'll scream," she told Faith assertively.

"Oh I could make ya scream alright, C," Faith said slowly as she leered at Cordelia.

"I didn't mean. . ."

Cordelia was flustered again and desperately trying not to let Faith's words, or the way she was looking at her, or the way she just looked in general, affect her. There wasn't much doubting that Faith had an affect now, however. Cordelia's moistening panties were making it impossible to deny and she currently hated Faith for that.

"Seriously, don't you dare try anything," Cordelia snarled, forcing herself to breathe normally and not as erratically as she had begun to.

With a confident chuckle, Faith sat back again, shaking her head as if she had Cordelia all worked out.

"Whatever, C," Faith said with a shrug. "Sooner or later you'll be beggin' to eat me out in exchange for a nice pair of shoes, or a purse, or. . ."

The slap Cordelia gave Faith rang out in the lavish confines of the limo and both girls took a sharp breath. Cordelia out of shock that she'd struck out so violently, and that it had flown past Faith's slayer instincts. And Faith because – even though she was a slayer – that slap would have hurt like a bitch.

A few seconds of eerie calm descended before Faith reacted, and Cordelia squealed in a mix of fear and excitement as her wrist was grabbed and she was pushed hard into the back of the seat with Faith hovering over her. She was practically straddling Cordelia, and her eyes were black with rage, and. . .yeah, most definitely desire.

"You hit me again, you'll lose an arm," Faith warned, her warm breath spilling over Cordelia's lips.

"If you think I can be bought so easily again you'll. . .I'll tell Buffy you're planning to kill her."

Faith glared at Cordelia but apparently didn't have an immediate response. She shook her head and laughed quietly, still pushing Cordelia into the back of the seat. The brown of her eyes eventually paled so she didn't look as frightening, but in all honesty, Cordelia hadn't really felt threatened. Sure, she should have done; she'd just slapped a slayer. A slayer that had no problem killing people and working for the wrong side. But for some reason Cordelia wasn't afraid of Faith, and she couldn't quite put her finger on why.

"You won't tell Buffy anything," Faith said finally, loosening her grip on Cordelia's wrist slightly and softening her voice. "You can't stand her so you're not gonna go runnin' to her about me."

Cordelia really wanted to refute that, even if just to mock Faith's confidence in the matter, but she couldn't. Faith obviously knew her better than she thought. Maybe she was as transparent and shallow as she'd always been told she was. Which really, in actuality, wasn't a great surprise.

"And I told you, I'm not gonna kill her," Faith continued. "But I am gonna make you scream." Before Cordelia could pull away, Faith quickly leaned in and kissed her.

Cordelia didn't scream. Instead, she went limp and almost passed out as a flock of butterflies took off in her stomach. Faith's lips pressed against hers, moving assertively as Cordelia had no option but to part her own lips a little and flutter her eyes closed. She knew she should have stopped Faith and pushed her off, but her lips were soft and good - oh so damn good. And Faith's body was close, warm, sexy and tempting, and though Cordelia really didn't want to be tempted. . .she was.

A small moan escaped Cordelia when Faith eventually pulled back. She couldn't quite place how she felt, and she didn't know why Faith had just done that, but her mind was incapable of constructive thought with Faith now straddling her and looking into her eyes as they slowly opened.

"See, I totally knew you were into me," Faith said with a grin, sitting back a little.

Though she wanted to tell Faith how wrong she was and how much she was going to call her bluff and have Buffy kick her ass, Cordelia was finding it hard to locate the words to refute the statement. She allowed her eyes to wander over Faith, sliding a hand up onto her thigh as Faith kneeled either side of her. Her hormones were raging inside her and her head was spinning. Maybe it had been all the shopping, spending money, and the lavish limo they were riding in, but Cordelia felt like she was floating.

She licked her lips, tasting Faith's lipgloss and finding it difficult not to lean forward so she could kiss Faith back. But Faith wasn't about to make things easy and she hopped off Cordelia, smirking as if she'd just won a prize.

"We're here," Faith pointed out before Cordelia could ask what the hell had just happened.

Watching as Faith gathered up the bags and slid out of the car, Cordelia wondered if the trauma of the last few weeks had finally driven her mad. It was crazy accepting money from Faith, and it was even crazier following her into her apartment. Obviously she was suffering some kind of post traumatic stress after her family had lost all of their money; it was the only explanation. Whatever the case, Cordelia got out of the limousine and closed the door, keeping her eyes on Faith as she followed.

"Nice place," Cordelia commented as they made their way up the stairs to Faith's apartment.

"Even nicer inside," Faith responded.

"Better than a crappy motel."

Faith didn't need to agree, it was obvious, and Cordelia understood more and more about why exactly Faith had switched sides. With a choice of either being seen as a nuisance and being left to rot in a stinking motel room, to being given an apartment, money, and a purpose. . .the choice seemed easy. Cordelia didn't like the whole idea of killing people and being on the side of evil, but there was no doubt that she could see the appeal of everything else. And if the stories of Faith's past were anything to go on, she definitely understood why Faith wanted a little slice of the good life.

When they entered the apartment, Cordelia looked around as Faith put the bags near her bed. She loved the open plan feel and the minimalism. It was a nice set up, and seemed to suit Faith down to the ground.

"Well, at least evil has good taste," Cordelia quipped.

Faith rolled her eyes but gave a quiet chuckle, taking off her jacket and making her way into the kitchen area. She pulled out two glasses from a cupboard and set them on the side.

"It also has food, booze, and an Xbox," Faith said. "Totally worth becoming a murderer for."

She mumbled the last part and Cordelia almost asked if she really meant it, but it was fairly obvious she was being sarcastic. Cordelia didn't know quite how to respond so she kept quiet instead, moving over towards the bed as she noticed the black sheets. The black, silk sheets.

Given the way Faith had just kissed her and the way Cordelia had failed to ignore the way in which Faith made her feel, silk sheets were a dangerous sign. Dangerous because she just knew at any moment she'd start thinking about what they would feel like to have sex on. She couldn't have those thoughts, especially not around Faith, or more importantly, not about Faith.

But Cordelia had never had sex on silk before – not that she'd had a great deal of sex at all. In fact, there had only been those two times, and she wasn't sure if one of those could be counted as the guy she'd been with had finished a little early, leaving Cordelia wiping herself down by the lockers in the boy's gym. For a football player he'd been a little too adept at fumbling, and it'd left Cordelia less than impressed.

She imagined Faith would be good at it – all kinds of good at it in fact. But she had to stop herself from imagining because going down that road was wrong, and scary, and really, really crazy.

"Drink?" Faith asked as she poured herself one.

Cordelia could see right away that it was an alcoholic drink, and she wasn't much of a fan of alcohol – never having really drank before. She was about to say it was a little early, but as she glanced out of the large window to her left she realised it was getting dark already.

"What is it?" Cordelia asked, moving towards the kitchen.

"Just a little something to make the bad guys tolerable."

Faith downed her drink in one gulp and proceeded to pour another, filling a glass for Cordelia beside it. As Cordelia got close enough to smell the alcohol she could tell that it was whiskey. Her dad was a fan of it, especially recently.

"Whiskey, Faith? Aren't you a little young for that?"

"Never stopped me before. My age never stopped anyone else either," Faith said cryptically as she shoved a glass towards Cordelia.

Cordelia didn't think she wanted to know exactly what Faith meant. Sometimes ignorance really was bliss.

"I don't think I should," she said as she looked down at the full glass.

"Suit yourself," Faith said with a shrug. "But this is the good stuff; Glenmorangie. It's like your dress in liquid form; pure silky goodness."

She swallowed down another big mouthful and gave Cordelia a wink.

"Glen's what?" Cordelia asked, pulling a face.

Faith just chuckled and walked over to the plush sofa that sat between the kitchen and bedroom area, taking her drink with her.

"So this helps you?" Cordelia asked, picking up the glass and sniffing at it. "Makes you forget you're supposed to be on the side where people don't wanna turn the world into an all you can eat demon buffet?"

Another shrug from Faith clearly indicated that she was no longer in the talking mood. That was ok with Cordelia; the less Faith talked, the less likely she was going to keep going on about how into her Cordelia was.

Putting the drink down and following Faith to the sofa, Cordelia took a seat next to her and momentarily wondered why she had chosen to sit so close. It was a three person sofa and she'd sat right next to Faith. Getting up and moving further away would probably make her look really weird, but staying there made her look really obvious. She couldn't win, so she just relaxed back into the plump cushions and hoped that Faith hadn't noticed the obviousness of the situation.

"Ya get any closer you're gonna be sitting on my lap, C," Faith indicated with a grin. "And you're totally invited to."

"If I wanted to sit on your lap I would have done with or without an invitation," Cordelia pointed out without thinking.

She'd said it on instinct; keen not to let Faith have the upper hand or seem like she was in anyway in control of her. Cordelia was always in control. Well maybe not always, but she tried to be. She was finding it harder with Faith than was fair.

"I like the way you think," Faith told her, letting her dimples come out to play. "Of course, I'd like the way you feel even better."

"Ok, what is this?" Cordelia snapped, sitting forward and glaring at Faith accusingly. "Why are suddenly like this with me? Buying me stuff? Coming onto me? We hardly ever spoke before. Are you hoping to pump me for information?"

"Whoa, C," Faith interrupted with her hands up in defence. "Way to give me a headache. And just so you know, if I'm gonna 'pump' you in any way. . .it won't be for information."

"Ugh," Cordelia groaned in exasperation. "You're like. . .clearly insane."

"That's me," Faith mumbled, taking another sip of her drink.

"I didn't. . .I didn't mean that you're really insane," Cordelia offered, trying not to sound like a complete bitch. "I'm sure you have your reasons for all the stabbing and killing; in fact, I can totally understand why you'd rather be here than begging for Buffy and her little tag-along friends to notice you."

She watched as Faith clenched her jaw and gripped the armrest tighter, her muscles twitching. That's when Cordelia noticed just how tight Faith's rather small top was. She looked away in a hurry and cursed her teenage hormones and current confused state, but the abrupt silence was already becoming awkward, and Cordelia didn't want Faith to suddenly get psychotic and violent.

"Look, I get it ok," Cordelia said after digging deep to find her humanity. "I get that you want to feel part of something. And important."

Faith didn't say anything but she seemed to relax just a little so Cordelia continued.

"And I get that you're trying not to disappear altogether, so you're reaching out to me because you think we might have something in common – I mean, we both dislike Buffy, and her friends have been total idiots to us – and you're hoping it won't look as bad if you can at least be civil with. . ."

"Jesus, Cordelia," Faith cut in, turning to her. "I'm really not that complex. I just think you're hot and wanna bang ya."

Cordelia's mouth hung open for several seconds, her brain trying to catch up and find a response. Maybe she had looked a little too deep, but she doubted Faith had really gone through the trouble of helping her out, and then bringing her back to her apartment just to 'bang' her. She'd taken too much of a risk for that; Cordelia now knew where Faith lived, and it would have been easy to disclose that to Buffy and her watcher. No, there definitely had to be more to it. Something Faith wasn't comfortable talking about.

"I don't believe you," Cordelia stated.

Shuffling even closer on the couch, Faith leaned towards Cordelia, once again oozing a tempting flavour of sexuality that had Cordelia revaluating her own.

"No, I really do wanna just fuck you, Cor," Faith purred huskily.

Though her heart rate had increased and her stomach was flipping and flopping for reasons of its own, Cordelia tried to stay focused.

"Well aren't you just full of wit and charm," she quipped, a little breathless.

Tilting her head to the side as she studied Cordelia, Faith gave her a stunning smile. It soon turned into more of a leer as Cordelia grew more and more uncomfortable.

"It's not my charm you're here for."

Frowning and attempting to work out if Faith was just trying to make her mad, or if she really was quite insane, Cordelia looked deep into her eyes for what felt like the first time. Though Faith was trying to remain tough, detached and cocky, there was vulnerability there. She could see sadness in her eyes and it made Cordelia take a mental step back.

As much as her body was telling her to maybe, possibly, most definitely take what Faith was offering her – from the money to the sex – Cordelia was dealing with a young woman in a perilous emotional state, and she didn't want to make things worse.

* * *

TBC…


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"Faith," Cordelia began after a long pause in the conversation, doing her best to look serious. "I'm going to try to be honest with you."

Faith gave her a guarded look but didn't stop her, leaning back and taking her glass once again to let the last of the whiskey slide down her throat.

"Go ahead, princess," Faith said once she'd swallowed. "But are ya sure you'd rather be talking than. . ."

"See, that's the thing," Cordelia interrupted. "This whole girl on girl thing is. . ."

"Hot?" Faith said with a smirk when Cordelia paused to attempt to find the right words.

"No. . .well, yes, but that's not the point. I didn't come here to. . ."

"Fuck?" Faith once again cut in as Cordelia paused.

"No, I didn't. . ." Cordelia stuttered, questioning herself. "That's not why. . .will you stop interrupting and putting me off?"

"Have a drink with me and I'll totally just sit here and listen, I promise," Faith said, her little puppy-dog expression making Cordelia even more confused about Faith than ever.

Rolling her eyes and getting up from the sofa, Cordelia marched her way into the kitchen, grabbing the glass Faith had poured for her.

"Bring the bottle," Faith requested as she lounged back on the cushions.

Cordelia brought both the glass and bottle back into the living area, placing the bottle on the small table beside them, and sitting down with her drink. She pulled a yuck-face before swallowing half the contents of her glass and shuddering.

"That's gross," she complained, but Faith just laughed, encouraging her to down the rest.

Once Cordelia had finished her glassful, Faith topped it up again, along with her own.

"So, can I talk now?" Cordelia asked as she slowly sipped at the silky liquid.

"Knock yourself out," Faith replied with a shrug.

Her nonchalance was slightly unnerving but Cordelia continued anyway.

"The thing is. . .this whole situation is a little strange," Cordelia said, suddenly feeling light-headed due to the whiskey. "I mean, I didn't know you were on team Ellen for one, and even if I had I didn't know you thought of me that way – though, I get it, I'm a cheerleader and hot so yeah – but the thing is. . .where was I?"

Faith raised an eyebrow and Cordelia looked at the already half empty glass in her hand.

"Ok, this stuff is a little strong," she noted, finishing the rest of it anyway.

"More?" Faith asked, shaking the bottle.

"Maybe just a drop," Cordelia answered, holding her glass out at Faith.

Once it was topped up again she continued.

"So anyway, I didn't come here because I thought we'd get all hot 'n' naked on your silk sheets, though that. . .doesn't exactly sound totally suck-y right now," she murmured, getting quickly sidetracked. "I don't know exactly why I came here, but I think you need a friend more than you need anything else, and the last thing I want to do is take advantage."

"Wait a minute," Faith said, putting her glass down and leaning forward. "You think you'd be taking advantage?"

Faith's laugh made the small hairs on the back of Cordelia's neck stand on end and she wasn't certain why exactly.

"I know you're not any kinda rocket scientist, but even you should get that I bought you here so I could take advantage of _you_, right?" Faith questioned, still chuckling.

"Keep telling yourself that, Faith," Cordelia answered, calling Faith's bluff. "You didn't really think I'd let you get that far. In fact, I bet you're shocked I even got into the car with you."

"Cor, it was a limo," Faith pointed out. "No way were you not gonna get in."

She wasn't sure she was happy about Faith's presumption, but in a way she was probably right.

"Ok, so maybe," Cordelia reluctantly agreed. "But I doubt you thought I'd come here to your apartment. You were ready to take me home until I said I couldn't go there with all those bags."

That seemed to put Faith on the back foot for a second and she appeared to be unsure of her own motives. It gave Cordelia ample time to see more to Faith than normal; her defences sagging under the weight of Cordelia's guesses.

"Look, Faith," Cordelia began, sighing as she prepared to be truthful with herself as much as the other girl. "I won't lie, you. . .are attractive, and somewhere along the way I started noticing that and wishing I could stop. I did stop, or at least I successfully denied it, and then my life went into a downwards spiral and I didn't have time to think about it anymore."

Cordelia looked at her empty glass and then at the bottle beside Faith. She was beginning to enjoy the slight buzz it was giving her, and even though she knew it was a bad idea to drink more, it was helping her get this out. This had been secretly inside her for too long now, and hell. . .it wasn't as if Faith was going to judge her for it. Leaning forward over Faith, Cordelia grabbed the bottle and poured herself another drink. Using Faith's thigh to push herself upright again once it was full, she couldn't miss the small shudder her touch sent through the other girl. It felt kind of nice. Kind of. . .a delicious, secret, naughty turn on.

She stayed closer to Faith, leaving her hand on her strong thigh, feeling her own pulse fluttering as she somehow sensed the desire oozing from Faith. It was a little bit intoxicating, and clouding Cordelia's judgment all over again.

"Yunno, you have really pretty lips," Cordelia told Faith, slurring slightly as she stared at them. "And they were soft, and nice, and. . ."

"Lean any closer and I'm gonna kiss you again," Faith warned, though it sounded less like a warning to Cordelia and more like something she was quite happy to try out.

"But that would be bad," Cordelia said, mostly to herself. "I wouldn't be able to pretend I didn't like you if you did that."

One of Faith's eyebrow's quirked upwards as she gave Cordelia an amused look, which was cute as hell to Cordelia and really not helping.

"Want me to test that theory?" Faith asked, glancing down at Cordelia's slightly parted lips.

She was so tempted, but she had to remain in control. Faith was volatile, not to mention dangerous. She was on Buffy's wanted list and if anybody knew Cordelia was there, ready to throw caution to the wind with Faith, then all hell would break loose. Cordelia had to remember that, and she also had to remember that she was meant to be straight and not into this in the slightest.

Oh, who was she kidding? She wanted Faith in the biggest way right now, and only her desperation to keep from admitting that to herself was stopping her from leaning forward the rest of the way and kissing the hell out of her.

She needed to slow herself down. She needed to find her footing and stop flailing around in fear and confusion, which was scary and perplexing.

"Ok, so. . .you like me," Cordelia stated, forcing herself to sit back again, taking a big gulp of whiskey before she continued. "And I like you."

Faith smiled at that and Cordelia swooned at the adorable dimples that struck down her face. It hadn't been the first time, despite the fact she'd always pretended she didn't even notice Faith's dimples before.

"And I like your nipples," Cordelia added, gasping as she realised just what she'd said. "I mean dimples. I like your dimples!" she corrected. "Oh God, am I drunk?"

The giggles that emanated from Faith quickly became infectious and Cordelia had to hold her sides in order to try to stop. But the giggling continued for at least another three minutes and she had to accept that it was nice hearing Faith laugh in that way. Hell, it was nice laughing like that for herself; it'd been a long time since Cordelia had felt able to laugh so freely. These days she didn't exactly have much to laugh about.

"Jesus, Cor, you're cracking me up here," Faith spluttered, wiping tears from her eyes. "And you're definitely drunk."

"Damnit," Cordelia groaned, putting down her glass – which was empty yet again. "That really isn't good; my mom is gonna freak out and start comparing me to Aunt Sadie, who hasn't been sober for twenty years and smells like cabbage."

She held her head in her hands and wished the day would roll backwards, or some of it at least. Bumping into Faith hadn't been all that bad; she'd gotten some great outfits, and working out that she was into Faith could have advantages she'd yet to discover. No, she didn't want to roll it all back; she just wished the world hadn't gone all fuzzy and her receding inhibitions weren't ready to have her doing something stupid.

"Well, you don't smell like cabbage at least," Faith offered, trying to hide her mirth.

Cordelia gave Faith a look out of the corner of her eye that clearly demonstrated her displeasure with the situation.

"No need to be so smug, Faith," she told her. "There's even less chance of me sleeping with you now; I'm too drunk."

"There's no such thing as too drink, C," Faith insisted.

But she didn't make a move on Cordelia, and that was a little surprising given the circumstances. There was no way Cordelia could have fought off her advances if she'd tried it on now; the alcohol had numbed her desire to keep from making a massive mistake, and really. . .she'd have been all too happy to be thrown onto the bed by Faith and devoured. It was a bit of disappointment to realise that Faith wasn't really going to take advantage.

"My head hurts," Cordelia whined, dramatically slumping back into the couch cushions.

"Already?" Faith asked with a snort.

"Not in that way," Cordelia pointed out, slapping Faith's hand away as Faith went to prod her in the side of the head. "I mean from thinking too much."

"That's gotta be a first."

"Oh you're just full of the funnies," Cordelia snapped, pushing herself up from the couch and attempting to pace in a straight line. "Bringing me here under false pretences, and not having your wicked way with me," she mumbled.

Her words weren't coming out quite as clear as she'd hoped, but from the look on Faith's face it was obvious she was making at least some sense.

"I was just fine as I was," Cordelia continued. "Fine forgetting that you were even here in Sunnydale; all sex and leather and bouncy hair. It was easy ignoring you when you weren't around but no. . .you couldn't stay away. You had to show up out of nowhere and make me think. And make me want you. And. . .and. . ."

Cordelia stopped abruptly when Faith got up and stood in front of her, a frown creasing her brow and making Cordelia want to reach out and brush her fingers over it, just to touch Faith. Just to touch her and never stop.

"I didn't make you want me," Faith stated, her voice softer than Cordelia had expected. "And I sure as hell didn't make me want you either."

Cordelia hadn't thought about that. Hadn't thought about the fact Faith might be just as confused, or just as wary. They were both in new places in their lives; caught on the outside looking in. They were both alone. Both wanting to reach out and find something - anything – that would give their lives meaning and hope.

"I coulda fucked off outta here after. . .after Finch," Faith said sullenly, "but I didn't. Not 'cause of Buffy. Not 'cause I'm a slayer."

Faith stepped closer and Cordelia could practically feel the tension coming from her; the reluctance to let go. The reluctance to be weak.

"You stayed because of me?" Cordelia asked, the words sounding silly as she said them. They barely knew each other.

It took a moment for Faith to answer as she looked down at her feet and ran a hand through her long, loose curls.

"I saw ya one day on your own, after Xander fucked you over, and after. . ." Faith sighed and looked back into Cordelia's eyes. "You looked so fucking sad."

Feeling a little embarrassed at being found out, Cordelia felt the need to deny she was ever sad. She hated the fact anybody could see so far past her façade to pick that up and needed to set Faith straight, but Faith didn't let her speak.

"I'm not takin' pity on you," Faith explained. "It just made me see you. I mean really see you, and not just the fact you're all kindsa hot and make me horny as fuck."

A chuckle broke the tension a little as Cordelia appreciated Faith's honesty. She wasn't sure she really wanted to hear this from Faith as it would only serve to make it even more impossible to ignore the desire to find out what girls could do with each other in bed, but she didn't seem to be stopping Faith either.

"I know this is crazy," Faith continued, sounding much less confident and assured than normal, "but seeing you again today. . .it made me realise something."

"That you wanted to trick me into bed with you by buying me lots of clothes?" Cordelia interrupted, asking her question with a knowing grin so Faith knew she was just joking. Things were getting a little serious and making Cordelia feel somewhat uncomfortable.

"Not just that," Faith answered with a wink. "I don't wanna be here."

For a second or two Cordelia didn't understand. She waited for Faith to continue and wondered if alcohol often made it seem like time had slowed to a standstill.

"You mean here in this apartment?" Cordelia pressed. "But it's a really great apartment."

With a roll of her eyes Faith shook her head no.

"I mean here, in the sitch I'm in," Faith elaborated quietly as if she were afraid that somebody might overhear. "In this whole fucked up thing I'm in."

"Oh."

"Exactly."

"So you're not happy being a minion of evil?" Cordelia questioned further.

Faith dropped her gaze to the floor and shrugged. She didn't seem sure, but Cordelia wasn't completely stupid. Obviously Faith was having second thoughts, but she was scared. Scared about what the reception would be like if she turned up at Buffy's doorstep to hand herself in, and scared about what the Mayor would do once he found out.

"And you want me to help," Cordelia suddenly realised. "Because you could tell that I liked you and wouldn't say no."

"Seemed like a good idea at the time," Faith confessed. "Not so sure now."

Turning from Cordelia, Faith walked over to the large window that looked out over the rooftops beyond. She stood and stared into the distance and Cordelia wasn't sure what she was meant to say or do. Here Faith was, basically telling her she wanted out of the Mayor's plans, the Mayor's grasp, and Cordelia had no idea how to help. She wasn't a slayer, or even a scoobie anymore. She wasn't connected to that world now, but Faith was putting her trust in her in a way that completely surprised Cordelia.

She had to think. She had to help, even if helping meant. . .telling Buffy.

Feeling much more sober now and a little bad for having ignored the obvious undercurrent of sadness within Faith, Cordelia approached the other girl. She stood close by behind her, wanting to reach out but holding back.

"You're not going to like this, but if you really want out of this," Cordelia began, glancing around Faith's apartment, "then we have to tell Buffy."

Faith took a deep breath and crossed her arms, and Cordelia could clearly see the tension in her shoulders.

"Thought you'd say that," Faith responded grimly.

Stepping even closer until she was almost pressed against Faith, Cordelia took a second just to look at her; taking in her profile and the strong set of her jaw. Maybe Cordelia was still feeling somewhat drunk because she had the urge to wrap her arms around Faith and pull her against her. She didn't know why, and wasn't stupid enough to think Faith would just let her, but the feeling was still there.

"Yunno, as much as Buffy is an annoying little runt, she generally does the right thing," Cordelia said after a few moments.

"I don't trust her."

Faith's biceps flexed and released and Cordelia knew she shouldn't press the Buffy issue, but Faith had to turn to somebody. Cordelia couldn't get her out of this situation on her own.

"Ok, what about Giles?" Cordelia asked, lifting her hand to rest on Faith's arm and feeling good when Faith didn't flinch away.

Turning her head slightly to see Cordelia out of the corner of her eye as she stood behind her, Faith shrugged. Her gaze travelled down to the hand Cordelia had loosely positioned on her bicep, but she didn't ask Cordelia to remove it.

"Not sure I trust him either," Faith muttered. "In case ya didn't know, the council doesn't exactly wanna keep me around."

"I heard rumours."

"Don't much feel like being taken in an' brainwashed, or worse," Faith said, sounding scared even though she was most definitely trying not to.

"Do you really think Giles had anything to do with that? I'm thinking Wesley's more the type to turn on his own slayer," Cordelia pointed out, feeling angry at him for being such an ass. "He always seemed a little. . ."

"Slimy?"

"Amongst other things," Cordelia said with a nod, rubbing her fingers over Faith's skin.

"So I guess I have to talk to Giles huh?" Faith asked, turning slowly to face Cordelia and bringing much more attention to their close proximity.

"I'll come with you," Cordelia offered. "I can still be scary when I need, and Giles always crumbles when I get all demand-y."

"I bet," Faith said with half a grin.

Her gaze swept over Cordelia and Cordelia shuddered on instinct, unable to hide how Faith affected her now. It was pointless trying to deny it. Faith could tell, Cordelia could tell, and really. . .was it so bad? Cordelia's life had changed so much over the last few months, what would one more change matter? Just something else to get used to and adjust to. At least being into Faith and knowing Faith wanted in her pants was less harrowing than losing her home, car, and large monthly allowance.

She could deal with this.

"Do you want me to stay tonight?" Cordelia asked, feeling Faith's body heat radiating from her as they stood by the window.

"So I can have my wicked way with ya?" Faith joked, smirking up at Cordelia.

"So you don't have to be alone," Cordelia corrected, continuing before Faith started wigging out. "And unless you ask me out on a date, there will be no wicked having with me."

"That so?"

"Yes," Cordelia asserted, rubbing her hand one last time over Faith's arm before turning to go and pick up the phone she'd seen perched near the bed. "Now I'm gonna call my mom and tell her I'm staying at a friend's house. And you should probably make me something to eat 'cause that Glen's orangey, whiskey stuff is making me feel dizzy again."

Faith opened her mouth to protest, but one look from Cordelia had her shaking her head with a chuckle and heading towards the kitchen. Cordelia still had it. And apparently Faith was happy to let down the tough-girl act long enough for it to be known.

Some time later, after Cordelia had called home and then eaten pancakes, and Faith had packed some of her clothes in a bag ready for her great escape, the two girls realised just how late it had become. They'd talked about how life had treated them both over the last couple of months, finding they had more things in common than would appear on the surface, but all the shopping and self-realisation, and alcohol had left Cordelia feeling worn out. She wanted to sleep, and she really hoped Faith would offer her the bed so she could curl up in delicious silk sheets.

With a stretch and a yawn, Cordelia glanced over at the bed, hoping Faith would pick up on the hint.

"If you were aiming for subtle you missed it by a mile," Faith told her.

"Well it's a good job I wasn't aiming for subtle then."

"Wanna go to bed?"

"Was that a loaded question?" Cordelia asked, eyeing Faith suspiciously.

"Do you want it to be?"

"Ok, this isn't making me any less tired," Cordelia pointed out. "Are we sharing the bed?"

Her voice quivered a little as she asked, and this time she hoped Faith didn't pick up on it. It would be a very bad idea to share, not that she didn't trust Faith now – mostly – but she didn't know if she quite trusted herself. Cordelia had found it very difficult not to gravitate closer to Faith as they chatted on the sofa. Something about her made it almost impossible to stay away, and now that Cordelia had come to terms with being attracted to another girl, she was caught up in thinking about all the new experiences she could get out of it. Namely sex. Good sex that had her tingling in anticipation. Faith was one hell of a hottie, and Cordelia kept having lascivious thoughts that she now apparently had no control over.

"You don't mind sharing?" Faith asked.

"Just as long as you keep your hands to yourself," Cordelia replied, standing and stretching out her long legs.

"Not sure you'd complain if I didn't but whatever ya say," Faith agreed, making her way over to the bedroom area. She tugged out a tee shirt from her bag and threw it in Cordelia's direction. "I'll even let you wear something, though you're probably gonna find everything I have is too tight for ya."

Faith's wiggling eyebrows clearly indicated that she wouldn't find that a bad thing, and Cordelia thought it pointless to complain. Whatever this thing with Faith was, and wherever it was headed, she didn't want to spoil it by being a bitch. The last thing Faith needed was a dose of cruel, Cordelia style.

She picked up the small, sleeveless tee shirt from where it had landed on the back of the chair and thanked Faith. There was no point asking if Faith had anything she could wear for her bottom half, she knew the answer would be no. It wasn't so bad; at least she'd get to feel the silk against her skin this way.

"You can change in the bathroom," Faith indicated, grabbing the bottom of her top and pulling it off before Cordelia had turned away.

Of course Faith wasn't shy about who saw her getting undressed; she was Faith. Cordelia knew enough stories about her to know the girl had no modesty, and she couldn't help but stare just a little. Just until Faith started tugging down her jeans, which would have left her standing there in nothing but her bra and panties. They were a really nice matching pair of bra and panties – black and sleek – but it was rude to stare so Cordelia eventually looked away and made her way quickly into the bathroom, her stomach fluttering once again.

"I just know I'm not leaving here with my lesbian chastity intact," Cordelia muttered to herself as she closed the door behind her.

A few minutes later she emerged, doing her best not to feel self-conscious as she headed towards the bed Faith was already lying in. The tee shirt didn't come down far enough to cover her ass, and Cordelia wasn't exactly used to strutting around in her panties for everybody to see. She guessed she'd probably have to get used to that if things went further with Faith.

As she got closer to the bed, brushing her fingers through her long dark hair and trying not to trip over her tongue as she noticed Faith's bare thigh resting lazily out of the covers, Faith gave Cordelia a wolf whistle.

"Oh that's classy," Cordelia pointed out.

"Hey, ya can't blame me, I got a hot cheerleader walking through my apartment half naked," Faith pointed out. "You're lucky I don't have a video camera."

"Oh God, you'd better not have one," Cordelia warned, peering around just to make sure.

"Scared people might find out you're all hot for a girl?"

Faith laughed as she asked, but Cordelia failed to see the funny side.

"Let's get this straight – no pun intended – I'm not comfortable enough with this yet to find the funny, so shut it ex-evil-girl or I'll kick your ass," Cordelia told her with her most serious expression.

"You're gonna kick my ass huh?" Faith asked, pulling the covers back so Cordelia could climb in.

Temporarily losing control of her motor functions as Cordelia gazed at far too much of Faith's flesh, she stumbled onto the bed and refused to get into another back and forth with Faith that would lead nowhere.

Sliding down into the sheets and enjoying the soft silk against her skin, Cordelia had never felt so far out of her comfort zone. She was in bed with a girl. With a girl who wanted her, sexually. A girl she wanted back just as sexually, which was all kinds of new and interesting, and probably a whole load of traumatic that hadn't hit her yet.

"I'm so far out of my comfort zone," Cordelia muttered as she tried her hardest not to get too close to Faith.

She could feel how warm Faith was without even touching her. She could smell the subtle scent of her skin and the soaps she used. Her senses were on high alert and though she was more terrified than she'd ever care to admit, Cordelia wished it would be easy just to reach out and touch Faith and feel her heat right against her.

"Is Queen C a little intimidated?" Faith mocked, rolling to her side so she could look at Cordelia, a hand resting against her head to prop herself up.

"I'm never intimidated," Cordelia corrected. "But I'm in your bed, Faith. When I got up this morning this scenario was not on the list of possible outcomes to the day. It's all a little. . .strange."

"Tell me about it," Faith agreed.

Cordelia turned her head to look at Faith, instantly feeling more relaxed with the soft smile she was being given. Those dimples were having more of an effect every time.

"But it's a good thing, right?" Cordelia asked, hoping Faith was doing the right thing by coming back to the good guys, and hoping she was doing the right thing by being there. "It's good that we. . .talked."

Her voice shuddered slightly as she felt Faith's leg press up against her own under the covers.

"Know what else is good?" Faith questioned, a hand slowly creeping towards Cordelia's leg and stroking over her; just the whisper of a touch.

"I. . .I. . ." Cordelia couldn't form thoughts let alone words as Faith's fingertips trailed to the inside of her thigh.

She felt the bed shift and realised it was because she'd subconsciously opened her legs a little wider, which wasn't really conducive to telling Faith to stop. Her lips suddenly felt very dry so she licked them slowly, watching Faith's eyes dilate until they were so dark it made Cordelia want to dive into them.

Faith leaned closer, fingers making small circles over Cordelia's skin as they gazed at each other. It became very obvious that Faith was planning to kiss her, and that wasn't exactly a bad thing – Cordelia had enjoyed their first kiss earlier – but she doubted it would stop at kissing, and she doubted she was ready for whatever came next.

"I don't think I'm ready for this yet," Cordelia confessed as Faith's breathing became a little more ragged to match her own.

"Yeah?" Faith pressed, her fingers inching closer to Cordelia's small panties, just skimming over the hem as Cordelia held herself stiff trying not to react.

"Yeah," Cordelia responded, not sure who she was trying to convince. "I've had sex before I just. . .not like this. And never lying down."

Faith nodded and Cordelia became completely distracted by her lips as she ran her tongue over the bottom one, dipping into the deep cleft that Cordelia suddenly really, really wanted to suck on.

"Then it's totally understandable that you'd be kinda scared," Faith said softly, leaning down further so Cordelia could feel her warm breath blowing across her ear. "But I bet you're wet for me, C. Wet an' waiting for me to finger you."

Cordelia gasped as Faith's fingers passed quickly over the material of her panties, right over her pussy, which was indeed very much wet.

"This. . .this is a little quick," Cordelia forced out, failing to focus on getting her breathing to obey and stop giving her away.

Faith moved her touch back to the hem of Cordelia's panties but her whole body was much closer now. There were soft boobs pressing against Cordelia and she'd never imagined that such a thing could have her almost palpitating into a coma of need, but she was, and she really did like the way Faith smelled.

"Oh what the hell," Cordelia breathed, running her hand up into Faith's hair at the back of her neck, "kiss me."

Giving Cordelia a wicked grin first, Faith obeyed without question, snatching Cordelia's lips with her own in a kiss that had Cordelia vibrating from the inside out. She let Faith's tongue search out her own, moaning as they came into full body contact when Faith moved over her so she could kiss Cordelia more freely.

Now that they were kissing it wasn't so scary. It was hot, and it was quickly unravelling Cordelia's inhibitions even more than the alcohol had done earlier. She let her hands start to roam over Faith, skimming over her firm butt and her slender back, delighting in the way it made Faith move against her. She knew this was fast. She knew this was out of character, but Faith seemed to need this, and Cordelia was surprised that she cared enough to want to give her this. Not just that, she wanted it herself. So much heartache to patch up. So much hurt to mend. They both needed this.

"Faith," Cordelia said, hardly finding breath enough to speak as Faith's mouth kissed and sucked at hers. "Faith, ask me on a date."

For a second Faith didn't stop and Cordelia wondered if she should repeat herself. But then Faith pulled away, looking down in confusion as her hand trailed up and down Cordelia's side under the small tee shirt she was squeezed into.

"What?" Faith asked, her nostrils flared in desire and making her look so sexy that Cordelia almost toppled her right over to fuck her senseless – even though she didn't even know if she'd be able to do it right.

"Ask me on a date, Faith," Cordelia repeated, running a hand through Faith's hair so it wasn't hanging in the way of her face. "So we can. . .yunno."

Realisation seemed to dawn on Faith and she smiled broadly, obviously remembering what Cordelia had said a little earlier about not wanting to have sex unless they went on a date. It was corny and silly, but Cordelia wasn't about to go further until Faith had at least asked her.

"So go on a date with me," Faith said half heartedly as she leaned down and tried to kiss Cordelia again.

"Not good enough, ask me properly," Cordelia insisted. "Ask to take me somewhere. Somewhere good."

Faith's eyebrows raised but she didn't appear to be angry, just slightly amused, and maybe a little apprehensive.

"Are you being serious?"

"Very," Cordelia assured, keen to have her way, and have Faith despite her complete lack of knowledge in the girly-sexing area. "I want you, Faith. Right now, on these silk sheets until we're both unbelievably well. . .fucked."

Cordelia's words were having a definite affect on Faith and she hoped planning a date would mean more nights together. Cordelia knew right away that she was happy to have that. To have Faith be the one she shared this with, and many more times than just this once.

"Ok," Faith finally said, looking more serious now. "Let me take you to prom."

Raising her eyebrows in surprise, Cordelia felt her heart swell at the simple request. She wasn't sure why exactly; maybe the way Faith had asked, the nervousness in her voice as if she'd wanted to ask it before but had never had the chance. Faith was unbelievably cute in that moment and it made Cordelia beam with unguarded joy.

"You'd really do that?" Cordelia asked, seeing the truth in Faith's eyes anyway.

"As long as everything's pretty cool by then, with Buffy and Giles," Faith said. "Not sure we'd get far if they're all chasin' my ass."

"Then that's even more reason for us to go to Giles tomorrow," Cordelia confirmed. "Your ass is mine. Now stop stalling and let's get out of these totally unnecessary and ridiculously small clothes."

With an amused shake of her head, Faith complied, pulling off the tee shirt she'd thrown on and then helping Cordelia out of hers. It wasn't long before Cordelia knew what it felt like to have a girl pressed against her between her legs, all heat and soft skin, Faith's wetness against her own. Faith's breasts so tantalisingly supple. Faith's hands so gentle but sure as she held onto Cordelia and rubbed their pussies together in a delicious rhythm until they were both wrapped in each other, hot skin sticky and kisses hungry.

It felt incredible; a heady mix of sinful naughtiness, and passion that burned through them both. Cordelia had never felt anything so good before. They kissed until their lips felt swollen, and moved against each other until Cordelia was sure she was about to come from the friction alone. But Faith shifted her weight just as Cordelia's subtle sighs and moans became more unmistakable and loud in her need to climax.

"Not yet, C," Faith instructed huskily, her voice as sensual and smooth as the silk at Cordelia's back.

Lifting herself from Cordelia a little way, Faith pushed a hand between them, fingers headed down as she placed kisses over already ultra-sensitive nipples. As she sucked one of Cordelia's hard nipples into her mouth her fingertips snuck between slippery folds, and Cordelia discovered sex was much better than she'd ever realised.

Faith's fingertips rolled and slipped, circled and dipped, causing Cordelia to shudder and buck against Faith until her heart was racing. Gasping for air and letting Faith discover her drenched opening until she was deep inside her and fingering her towards orgasm, Cordelia tried hard to focus on giving Faith something back. She didn't want to just lay there and be fucked; she wanted to do the same to Faith – if she could.

"Faith," Cordelia moaned, scratching her fingernails down Faith's back, "I wanna touch you."

Letting go of Cordelia's nipple with a slurp, Faith raised her head and smiled so openly that Cordelia most definitely swooned this time. Faith shifted her weight a little more and pulled her fingers out of Cordelia, making Cordelia groan in a mix of pleasure and disappointment; she'd really liked having Faith's fingers pushed inside her.

Swiping her tongue up Cordelia's neck, Faith parted her legs, resting some of her weight on Cordelia's hip.

"Go for it, C," Faith offered with the hint of a dare to her tone. "I'll steer ya round the curves if you start getting lost."

Feeling nervous again, Cordelia dug deep for her reserves of pride and moved her arm between them in the same way Faith had. She reached down, brushing over Faith's stomach and then over a small patch of dark pubic hair that was already drenched – a product of both their desire. As she took the final leap and covered her fingers in Faith's juices, searching for the place that would have Faith moaning and gasping along with her, Cordelia felt the world begin to shake.

She slammed her eyes shut and listened to Faith's shuddering breaths, her heated words, and the sound of their fingers pleasuring each other as Faith plunged back inside her.

"Oh, God," Cordelia gasped, every muscle taut and her pussy grasping at Faith's fingers as they fucked her. "Don't stop."

"I'll fuck you all night long, Cor," Faith told her, breathlessly speaking into her ear as she took Cordelia's fingers inside her.

Cordelia sighed in contentment as the room began to sway with her and her fingers drove into Faith, covering them in Faith's arousal.

"Fuck, yeah! Fuck my pussy, Cordy," Faith moaned like a porn star as she rode the long fingers inside her.

Every word drove Cordelia closer to the edge, and her brain lost its grip on her surroundings as Faith's palm brushed against her clit. She did the same to Faith, rejoicing internally as Faith let out a sexy little squeal as she began to come.

"Oh fuck, Faith," Cordelia gasped loudly, letting go along with her.

Their bodies crashed together, lips meeting lips and fingers pulling out the last of their orgasms as they kissed sloppily and fought for difficult breaths. They shuddered and clung, and swept each other along until Faith finally flopped down onto Cordelia's body, and Cordelia wrapped her arms and legs around her, just enjoying the contact. Enjoying the way her body was tingling and sated.

"Mmm, that was good," Cordelia purred as Faith nuzzled into her neck with her nose. "I could get used to that."

She felt Faith smile against her skin so was sure it hadn't been the wrong thing to say. Faith wasn't exactly known for her after-sex-etiquette, but Cordelia strangely wasn't worried about being kicked out or pushed to the curb right away. Just something about the way Faith had trusted her. The way she'd been and the things she'd said.

This Faith wasn't the one everybody else had grown to fear, and dislike. This Faith was her secret-Faith. She was more gentle, she was lost and needed help, she was open to being held, and she was all Cordelia's. . .for as long as she managed to hang on to her.

"You up for another round, Cor?" Faith asked, kissing Cordelia's neck in a way that was firing Cordelia up again.

It was tempting to say yes – very much yes, yes, yes – but Cordelia didn't want to give everything to Faith all at once. She was happy to see what tomorrow brought, and then look forward to more times where they'd end up wrapped around each other in warm, wrinkled sheets wearing nothing but contented smiles.

"We need to sleep," Cordelia responded, surprised at how sensual her own voice sounded now Faith had worked her magic. "Tomorrow is a big day."

She felt Faith stiffen in her arms and soothed her with tender touches to her back and sides, sweeping her fingertips over Faith in a way Faith had probably never allowed anybody else to do. Cordelia thought Faith was going to protest at first, or change her mind about going to see Giles, but after a small sigh, Faith relaxed again.

"I guess," Faith mumbled, snuggling into Cordelia and making Cordelia smile from the inside out. "Kinda tired anyway."

Listening to Faith's sleepy voice and the yawn that came after, Cordelia could tell just how tired Faith really was – not physically tired maybe, but emotionally so. Faith had been through too much, on her own with nobody to turn to but the bad guys. Cordelia was going to put that right. Nobody was going to treat 'her' Faith that way again. Not even Buffy.

She kissed Faith's head and chuckled as she felt a hand move up to rest on one of her breasts.

Things were about to change, and for the first time in a long time. . .Cordelia wasn't afraid.

* * *

The End


End file.
